Three takeaways from a desperately needed victory for Golden State
The Golden State Warriors blew out the severely short-handed Indiana Pacers 114-83 on Sunday, but it didn't always feel like it would come easy. With three minutes to go in the third quarter, the score was tied at 65.
From there, the Warriors outscored the Pacers 49-18. Jimmy Butler led the way for Golden State with 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. The Warriors had five other players in double figures, one of which is spotlighted in the takeaways below.Al Horford's stats in his first six games tell the story of his season well: 4.5 points, 29.7 FG percentage, 20.8 3PT percentage.Horford hit a three early in the Warriors' big run to give them a 70-65 lead. He also acted as Golden State's rim protector, keeping the lane clogged as the Pacers went on a four-plus-minute scoring drought. He then made two more threes early in the fourth quarter, and suddenly the Warriors had a 90-74 lead. Horford finished the game with 12 points, four rebounds and three blocks in 18 minutes. He was 4-of-6 from three and a plus-nine. On a night when Jonathan Kuminga , Brandin Podziemski and Buddy Hield combined to go 1-of-14 from three, the Warriors desperately needed Horford's shooting. It changed the game from a grind to a blowout.10th-worst turnover rateThe turnovers have come from all over the place, but the solution to their problem was staring them in the face.That's what he did Sunday, finishing with seven assists, just one turnover and plenty of hockey-style assists.. It's more than three times lower than Draymond Green's. Sometimes the answer to the question is the simplest one. Just give Jimmy the ball, and good things tend to happen.Kerr Should Keep Giving Kuminga Big Role Despite Recent Struggles It's been a two-game stretch to forget for Jonathan Kuminga. The fifth-year forward went 1-of-9 with five points Sunday, and that means he's 4-of-19 with 11 points in his last two games. This stretch shouldn't erase the vibes from his excellent start to the season, but it's fair to wonder if Steve Kerr will replace Kuminga in the starting lineup with Moses Moody to give the first five more shooting.In the long term, Moody may force his way into the starting lineup. But for now, it's important to keep Kuminga as engaged as possible. But even if Kerr does take Kuminga out the starting lineup, he needs to continue to play big minutes.Had the Warriors been in a tighter game, he might have returned, but even if Kerr were to spin this as rest for a starter instead of a benching, Kuminga would benefit from getting right back into a big-minute role against the Thunder on Tuesday.
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